This morning’s FT reports that Gordon Brown and David Cameron are both urging their MPs to reject above-inflation pay increases for themselves. If previous research is to be believed then Conservative MPs are the least likely to be accommodating.

There seem to be a number of issues here (in no particular order):

The recommendation of higher pay comes from an independent review body. Shouldn’t that body’s advice be accepted?

If MPs vote for above-inflation pay increases, where does that leave the Government’s attempts to restrict wider public sector pay settlements?

Over the years MPs’ pay has fallen behind the pay of public sector employees that they were once ranked alongside.